Fall Down Five Times, Stand Up Six
by pauliebleekers
Summary: Stiles Stilinski knew that he wanted to marry Lydia Martin. Knew it when he first laid eyes on her in third grade, knew it when she kissed him their junior year. He knew it every day, just waiting for the perfect moment to make it happen. Or, five times Stiles tried proposing to Lydia and the one time he finally did.


Written for StydiaWeek 2014 on tumblr.

This is also posted on my AO3 account (martinstillinski).

* * *

Stiles Stilinski knew that he wanted to marry Lydia Martin.

**i.**

He knew it when he was seven, when he first laid eyes on her_._

Stiles watched from the swings as Lydia played on the playground, her curly hair pulled into a ponytail, and turned to look at his best friend. "Scott, I'm going to marry her."

"Who?"

"Lydia Martin."

"The new girl?" Scott asked, still swinging.

"Yeah!"

"I think I'm going to marry Erica," Scott said, looking over at the blonde who was playing kickball. "She's so cool."

"Okay, I'm gonna do it. How's this?" Stiles started, standing from the swing. "Lydia, I think you're the prettiest girl in our class. Actually, you're the prettiest girl in the school, even the whole world! I wan—"

"Dude, look."

Stiles turned to look what Scott was pointing at and watched Jackson, the meanest kid in the whole world, walk up to Lydia and start talking to her. They smiled at each other, and before Stiles even had the chance to say something to Scott, some girls were yelling that Jackson and Lydia were married.

Stiles frowned. "I can't believe she would marry Jackson! I thought he was married to Cora, anyway."

"Not anymore, buddy. She married Isaac on Tuesday."

**ii.**

Stiles knew he was going to marry Lydia when she kissed him senseless their junior year, two weeks after they had saved Stiles from the nogitsune. It was Allison's first night home from the hospital, recovering from her near-fatal stab wound, and the whole pack was there to welcome her. After an hour filled with pizza and normal teenage conversations, everyone began to head out so Allison could rest. Stiles offered to give Lydia a ride home which she quickly accepted, and when he walked her to her door, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

The first time they had sex, Lydia held onto Stiles as he pushed into her, his body shaking from nerves. She held his face in her hands, and whispered, _I love you,_her eyes closing in pleasure, and Stiles had never seen anything more beautiful. He knew at that moment that he wanted to be with Lydia Martin forever, but it wasn't like he was going to propose while they were in high school… or in the middle of sex. He'd wait for the perfect moment.

A year later, Stiles sat among his fellow classmates, all dressed in maroon caps and gowns, as he watched Lydia give her valedictorian speech. His eyes met hers as she looked over the crowd and he smiled, giving her two thumbs up. He looked at the back of Erica's head as she sat in front of him, texting. He rolled his eyes, knowing she was more than likely texting dirty things to Boyd. He tried to find Scott, but couldn't seeing as how he was multiple rows ahead of him.

Fuck alphabetical order.

The gym erupted in applause once Lydia finished her speech, and Stiles rose to his feet, loudly cheering for his girlfriend, and he could see Danny and Scott giving her a standing ovation as well, and even though he couldn't see the front row, he knew Allison was too. The empty space between Scott and Danny was taken over a moment later as Lydia returned to her seat, and he cursed his last name, wishing it could fit between Martin and McCall.

After a few speeches from some teachers and the principal, the gym was filled with the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance. He watched as his classmates were called on stage; cheering loudly as Allison, Boyd, Isaac, and Danny accepted their diplomas. When Lydia's name was called, he watched her walk across the stage and shake the principal's hand as her gave her her diploma. Stiles felt his heart swell when she smiled the most beautiful smile, so proud of herself for this accomplishment. Scott received his diploma next and Stiles swore he heard Melissa crying over all the screaming and cheering around him. A moment later, he found himself walking across the stage, proud of himself for not tripping up the steps. (Scott, Isaac, and Erica all owe him ten bucks, ha.) The principal handed over his diploma and he looked out into the crowd, beaming when he saw his father, Melissa, and his friends cheering for him.

After the ceremony, Stiles and Scott were bombarded by hugs from an emotional John and Melissa, while Allison and Lydia each went to receive hugs and congratulations from their families. Boyd, Erica, and Isaac had headed out right after, promising to get everyone's favorite snacks at the store before coming over to celebrate.

"We should go find the girls," Scott said after Melissa snapped _another_photo of him and Stiles. "We'll meet you guys back home, okay?"

John and Melissa nodded and hugged them once more before weaving through the crowd to find the exit.

Scott headed to the front of the gym to find Allison, and Stiles looked around the crowded gym, looking for Lydia. He finally found her and smiled when he saw her being held very tightly by her teary-eyed father, knowing they didn't have the best relationship. Her mother was talking to a woman Stiles assumed was her grandmother, and smiled when she saw Stiles. He saw Lydia turning her head to him when her mother pointed in his direction. Lydia excused herself from her family and ran to Stiles' waiting arms.

The two circled around slowly, tightly bound together. Stiles had held Lydia in his arms so many times but this felt like the best of those. Lydia stepped away slightly but still kept her hands bound behind his neck, and Stiles leaned down for a quick kiss.

"I have something to—" The two of them started at the same time and ended up laughing.

"You go," Stiles told his girlfriend, feeling the excitement radiate off her.

"Okay," Lydia smiled and exhaled slowly. "So, I know I've been driving you crazy for the last few months, but I finally chose a school."

"Okay," Stiles said slowly, his heart beating rapidly. He grabbed Lydia's hands from behind his neck and held them tightly in his.

Lydia had been accepted into every school she applied to, and most were private law schools on the East coast, including Yale. She had been accepted into Berkeley as well, which is where Stiles, Scott, and Allison were all attending. Scott was studying pediatric medicine, Allison opting to have a safe and normal life by getting her degree in elementary education, and Stiles following in both his father _and_ mother's footsteps with a major in criminal justice and a minor in psychology.

"Well, I've been thinking about it a lot. I even made a pros and cons list," Lydia said, biting her lip.

"Annnnnnnd?"

"I chose Berkeley."

"What?"

"I chose Berkeley!" Lydia exclaimed happily.

"Wait a minute," Stiles said. "You—"

"I'm staying in California!" Lydia finished for him. "I'm so excited. I know that picking your college depending on where your boyfriend is going is completely dumb, but we both know me well enough to know that I wouldn't do that. Berkeley has a lot of amazing law programs and I got into most of them and I was accepted into a law internship which is highly selective and absolutely amazing. I know I didn't tour the school which isn't the best decision, but you and Scott and Allison did and you all loved it and I could take a tour of the summer, right?" Lydia shot out, her hands leaving Stiles halfway through her spiel to gesture around her while she talked.

"What?" she groaned after Stiles didn't say anything. "I know I should've talked to you about it instead of surprising you, but I wanted to make the decision on my own without you telling me to chase my dreams at Yale. My mom's okay with it since I'll be closer to home, Allison thought it would be cool to surprise you, and even Scott told me to wait and he was actually able to keep it a secret and—"

Stiles cut her off mid-sentence with a toe-curling kiss, leaving Lydia speechless afterwards. "Lydia, I love the idea," he grinned. "One of the girls who gave us our tour was a law student and she loves it there. You're going to be amazing."

"Okay, good," Lydia sighed in relief. "When you didn't say anything, I thought you hated the idea. And I was going to punch you if you argued with me."

"Well you didn't give me the chance to speak," Stiles laughed. "But I do love the idea. I really, really love it."

"I can't believe we're finally getting out of Beacon Hills," Lydia said excitedly. "My first experience away from home and I get to spend it with you, Allison, and Scott!"

Stiles started to imagine his life with Lydia in Berkeley. They could get an apartment together, be able to spend their mornings, time between classes, and nights together. They would be able see each other for important days like their birthdays and anniversaries. It would be like they were married.

Lydia continued to talk about the things she was excited for while Stiles stared at her. She would be there, he didn't have to miss her. They were already so strong, there was nothing in the world that could separate them. They would be together forever, Stiles knew in his heart, so why not make it official?

_Marry me_, the words were on the tip of Stiles' tongue. He'd thought about it seriously a few times during the last few weeks as they filled out college applications and tried planning their futures. He had imagined he would do something special, but here he was at their high school graduation, knee close to bending and his mind telling him to propose.

"I could make my own choices, I could live my life with no certain strings," Lydia was saying. "No expectations, the future unclear and literally anything could happen. We could just live our lives with no scheduled phone calls or Skype dates, and we won't have to deal with distance and time zones. Isn't that great? Stiles, we can just be together. No stress at all. Well, except with school, but at least our relationship would be easier, right?"

And suddenly, the _marry me_ was no longer at the tip of his tongue, his knee straightened up, and the proposal was pushed far away to the back of his mind. Lydia wasn't looking to be engaged, obviously. She wanted to have no strings at all. A ring on her hand was a string, a huge string, a huge string on her hand that would write part of her future.

"Right," Stiles managed to smile.

He could wait for a while. There was no rush. They could finally have an easy going life, not having to deal with supernatural monsters or rival packs. (Stiles and Scott were nearly 100% sure there were no wolf packs in the Berkeley area.) They would be living a normal life for the first time in the history of their relationship. It sounded nice. Stiles laughed at himself for having the sudden urgency to propose and tried to forget it as he put his arm around Lydia's shoulders.

"Come on, let's head out. Everyone should be getting to my house soon," Stiles said and Lydia leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek before they walked out of the Beacon Hills High School for the last time.

**iii.**

Stiles knew he was going to marry Lydia when they celebrated their two year anniversary. It was nearing the end of their first year at Berkeley, only about a month away from finals. Their anniversary fell on a Thursday which was undoubtedly the busiest day of their week; Stiles working the early morning shift at the coffee shop down the road from their apartment before five hours of classes, and Lydia having a seven hour day of classes, and a four hour shift at the law firm she was interning for. She didn't arrive home until eight o'clock, so they spent the evening eating takeout and watching movies with Scott and Allison, both of them barely able to stay awake to finish _21 Jump Street_(Scott's choice), before heading to bed.

He'd thought about proposing more than usual when their two year anniversary approached. They had a successful two years together, overcoming problems that normal couples never encounter, and they had kept up with their busy schedules and managed to keep their arguments to a minimum. Plus, they were already living together, so it was like they were practically married. They lived with Scott and Allison as well, but that didn't matter especially since Scott and Stiles were totally down to spend their lives like the Warner-Hughes clan (they spent a lot of late nights watching _Yes, Dear_ reruns, okay), and living together forever. Stiles already called being the Warners because there was no way Lydia would agree to living in a guest house.

But Stiles didn't have enough money for a ring yet, and he didn't want to ask his father for his mother's. He had thought of asking Melissa if she had any sentimental rings that could be passed down, but quickly scratched that idea. Melissa would accidentally bring it up to John one night, and then the entire northern California area would know because John would let it slip to just about _everyone_, and then it would travel to Lydia's mother and friends, and someone would congratulate them on Facebook or Twitter, and the surprise would be ruined.

When Saturday came, he took Lydia to one of the area's finest restaurants. He had already called and annoyed an employee, making sure the menu included at least some of Lydia's favorite foods and desserts. They had a nice, filling dinner, shared a chocolate cheesecake for dessert, and walked through the city to get back to their apartment.

"I haven't eaten that well in a long time," Lydia said. She was tucked into Stiles' shoulder as the two kept close for warmth while walking in the chilly spring night.

"What? You don't like my famous pasta?" Stiles asked sarcastically.

"Not when we eat it nearly every day," Lydia retorted, smiling. "Thank you so much for taking me out tonight."

"Hey, we've been together for two years. I should thank you for putting up with me," Stiles replied.

"You make it sound like I haven't had any problems," Lydia said.

"We've both had our share of crazy shit," Stiles agreed. "But look at us now! We're at university, we have our own place, we even pay bills."

"Oooh," Lydia giggled. "So grown up!"

Stiles smiled as he prepared himself to pop the question. "We are adults now," he said slowly. "And with two years past us, we have a stronger relationship than some couples that have been together way longer than us, right?"

"True," Lydia nodded, her smile widening.

"So I was thinking that maybe we…"

Stiles paused when Lydia stopped walking. She stood in front of him, her hands holding his. Despite having a fancy dress on under her leather jacket, Lydia still looked very young for her age of nineteen. And suddenly, as Stiles remembered that Lydia was still only nineteen, he himself only a few days into being nineteen, he realized that proposing now would not be a good choice. They weren't even out of their teenage years yet.

"We could…get a bigger apartment soon," he said instead.

Lydia cleared her throat. "Um, sure."

"Cool, cool."

"I thought you loved living with Scott and Allison?" she asked.

Stiles laughed. "Oh, I do. They're definitely coming with us."

Lydia rolled her eyes and started walking again, Stiles' hand in hers. "We'll look for a different place, but finding a bigger apartment within our budget is going to be tough. Maybe I can ask my parents to help out, though. My parents have been asking if we need help with bills, so maybe he'll pitch in."

"Maybe," Stiles replied, his mind elsewhere. Lydia bringing up her parents just made him feel even more stupid for thinking about proposing at this very moment. They weren't even in their twenties, they were still struggling through their first year at university, and they weren't financially secure enough to buy a bigger place. Proposing now would just put more stress on them. He knew Lydia well enough to know that even if he told her that they didn't have to plan the wedding any time soon, she'd start thinking about it too much and stress herself out. Plus, it wasn't like they had seriously talked about marriage before. Lydia never even mentioned getting married or wanting to. Lydia was all about doing things for herself and not wanting to rely on others, so maybe marriage wasn't her thing. She was independent, Stiles knew that, and he now was extremely relieved he hadn't blurted out his proposal.

They finally made it to the elevator of their building and Lydia had kicked off her new heels, complaining about the sores she would have the next morning, so Stiles picked her up and brought her into their tiny apartment, ignoring her weak protest because he knew she appreciated it. He carried her into their bedroom, laying her down on the bed after helping her change into one of his old t-shirts, and pulled the covers around her. Stiles looked down at his girlfriend as she quickly fell asleep, thinking about how stressed she was with her full-time class schedule, her internship, and finals just around the corner.

Stiles sighed stressfully, running a hand through his hair, and walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

**iv.**

Stiles knew he was going to marry Lydia while on their first vacation of the summer. Stiles listened to Lydia talk as they sat on the beach, their only surroundings being the sand, the sea, Scott and Allison splashing around in the water, and Melissa and John a good distance away having their own good time. Stiles looked at Lydia as she looked up at the clouds, sunglasses covering her face. She was wearing a floral pattern swimsuit which was nearly the same as Allison's.

_I have the pink version, Stiles. Allison has the teal,_Lydia had told him as if he paid that much attention, he just noticed they looked similar.

As Stiles looked at Lydia's exposed legs, he remembered Lydia asking him to apply sunscreen all over her skin and how he slowly managed to do the job.

They were on summer break, just finishing their third year at Berkeley, and Melissa and John surprised their sons with a family (ft. girlfriends) vacation to Hawaii. So far, they have only relaxed on the beach, but Stiles didn't mind. He was enjoying the view, which was Lydia most of the time.

"Stiles?"

"Hmm?" he said, taken out of his trance.

"In the future, do you think we'll be like your dad and Melissa?"

Stiles turned his head to where Melissa and John were sitting and realized they weren't there anymore. But then a loud shrieking made him see that the two were in the water together. "What do you mean?" Stiles asked, rolling his eyes when he saw them kissing.

"That happy, I mean," Lydia clarified. "They've both been through so much, and they're still always laughing and smiling. Pretty sure my parents stopped physical contact once years ago."

Stiles moved to lay down on his stomach. "I've said it before, Lydia, we're not your parents. We're not my dad and Melissa either. We're just you and me. Sure we'll have our share of problems, but we'll be happy. Really happy."

"Okay, good," Lydia smiles, and then rubs her hand across Stiles shoulder blade. "I don't plan on having to lose someone, anyway. I just want you. Forever."

Stiles rotated his body and moved closer to Lydia, laying his head on her lap. "You know, I'm really happy that you see us together in the future. Though, I don't want to be like Melissa and my dad. I love them, but the PDA is embarrassing."

"Of course I see us together in the future, I can't picture mine without you in it," Lydia looks down at Stiles and laughs. "But I do agree. Imagine our kids' reactions if we're constantly going at it."

Stiles shot up and he looked at his girlfriend, shocked at what had come from her mouth. It didn't shock him that Lydia casually mentioned their future, but they've never mentioned kids. Not even playfully.

"Kids?"

"Yeah kids," Lydia replied as if it were nothing. "You don't want kids?"

"I do," Stiles said quickly. "Trust me, I do. It's just, we've never talked about it, I didn't know if you—"

Lydia smiled and placed a comforting hand on Stiles' cheek. "We'll have kids. Just not until we're married, of course." She laughed right after saying the sentence, but Stiles gazed at her so seriously, mouth opened in shock, amazed that their conversation went from talking about their happiness in the future to having kids in like thirty seconds.

And now Lydia mentioned marriage.

_We're_, she had said, meaning she wanted to marry him. She was expecting them to get married, and Stiles was more positive now than when he last tried to ask Lydia to marry him.

They were both twenty-one and more financially secure now than they were a few years back, and Stiles finally heard Lydia talking about their permanent future together. They wouldn't have to get married right away, but to Stiles, it felt like the perfect time to propose.

They were on a beautiful island, neither of them were stressed, and they were both on the same page about being together in the future.

"Lydia, will you—"

"Hey, lovebirds!"

Stiles gritted his teeth in frustration when Lydia looked away from him. Melissa had caught her attention with her yelling, inviting them to the water, and Lydia couldn't refuse. So Stiles grabbed onto Lydia's extended hand and stood, following her into the water.

After swimming and laughing and kissing, Lydia left the water to dry off and Stiles stayed to float (and pout) for a little while.

"For someone who's on vacation, you don't look very relaxed."

John had swam up to him and Stiles continued just to stay still on the water. "Yeah, well I just tried to propose to Lydia," Stiles muttered.

"You what?" John exclaimed loudly. He pulled on his son's hand, causing Stiles to jerk in the water, and suddenly they were both on land close to where John's things were.

"You proposed?" John whispered to Stiles' relief. "Did she say yes?"

"I didn't get the chance to ask, Melissa interrupted," he answered annoyed.

John covered his eyes and groaned. "Damn! The timing that woman has! Well, don't worry, we'll find the perfect time for you to propose on this trip." John hummed. "Hey, maybe you can bring her back here tonight, light some candles, drink some wine, and propose to her under the moonlight."

"Okay, you have been spending _way_too much time with Scott." Stiles shook his head. "Lydia doesn't like the beach at night, anyway, says there are too many crabs or something. And besides, getting cut off shattered my confidence, I was on a roll." Stiles groaned. "And I don't have a ring. You damn well know Lydia would kill me if I proposed without a ring."

"If you had told me you were going to propose here I would've brought the ring I gave your mom," John said.

"I didn't know I was going to propose, it was kind of spur of the moment!" Stiles said almost too loudly. He turned to look at Lydia and thankfully, Melissa had her distracted. "We were talking about us in the future and then she brought up kids and marriage and I just thought…"

"Man, that was the perfect time," John agreed.

Stiles plopped down on a towel and brought his arms up to cover his face. "I know," he whined.

"Sorry, kiddo. Hey, when we're back in California, I'll give you the ring so you can propose, for real this time, without chickening out."

"I didn't!" Stiles exclaimed. "And I don't want to use mom's ring."

"Why not?"

"Because it's _mom's_ ring," Stiles said. "And it should stay mom's ring forever, sitting in the box in your dresser."

"You know she would want you to have it, Stiles," John said, sitting next to his son.

"I know, I know. I just… I don't feel comfortable with it, okay? I don't want to be reminded of Mom every time I see it, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," John nodded. "Just make the proposal good, okay? And I won't tell Melissa, you know how talkative she can be."

"Thanks dad," Stiles sighed. He stood up from the blanket and went to go back to Lydia when John stopped him.

"Propose soon," his dad told him. "Before someone else tries to."

Stiles rolled his eyes at his dad but when he turned away, his face dropped. His dad was right. They had been together for over four years, and if he didn't make it official sometime soon, someone might try to come in between them.

He returned to his spot beside Lydia and waited for the women to finish their conversation. Once Melissa left, Lydia grabbed Stiles' head to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, her hands holding him, managing to make the kiss last longer, Stiles finally pulled away after a good while, realizing he had moved on top of Lydia. He was about to roll off her when Lydia pulled him back in.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked, her lips brushing his. "I have no idea when we'll have the chance to make out on a beach again, so we have to make the most of it, right?"

Stiles smirked and leaned back in. "Damn right we do," he whispered before kissing her again.

**v.**

Stiles knew he wanted to marry Lydia, even at the worst times. They were back in Beacon Hills for the weekend to celebrate Allison's 24thbirthday, staying with John and Melissa at their new condo.

They had graduated university the year before, deciding to stay in Berkeley because they were both offered amazing job opportunities. They had wanted to move north so they could be closer to their families, but both of their parents told them staying in Berkeley would be the best choice seeing as how they were being offered secure jobs, so they stayed. They had rented a smaller apartment after Scott and Allison broke the news (and Stiles' heart) that they were moving to San Francisco. They were happy (except when Stiles complained about living in a different town than his best friend, but Lydia always rolled her eyes and reminded him that Scott and Allison only lived thirty minutes away from them).

Chris decided to hold Allison's celebration in one of the party halls at a hotel a few cities over, a formal gathering with all her friends and family. Stiles wore a pale blue button-up tucked into khaki pants, Lydia in a simple black dress that landed just above the knee.

They arrived to the party and were instantly greeted by Allison and Scott, both beaming.

Lydia eyed them suspiciously. "What?" she asked, practically feeling the happiness radiate off her best friends.

Allison quickly shot her hand up, showing off the beautiful ring on her finger.

"Oh my god!" Lydia exclaimed, dropping Stiles' hands and hugging her best friend. "Oh my god, Allison! I'm so happy for you!" She pulled away and glared at Scott. "Took you long enough."

"I was waiting for the perfect time!" Scott wailed.

"And you did, baby," Allison smiled, wrapping her arms around his torso. "He had the cutest speech, said he wan—"

"Allison, I know you're excited," Scott said, cutting off her excited storytelling. "But someone is going to hear you."

"You haven't told your parents yet?" Lydia and Stiles asked at the same time.

"Well, I talked to her dad a few weeks ago, and he didn't even hesitate or pull out any weapons," Scott said, wrapping his arm around Allison's shoulder. "He said tonight would be the perfect night to announce it since everyone is here."

"Well, congrats, dude!" Stiles said, hugging Scott quickly. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were doing it tonight."

"I didn't want the surprise to be ruined! I know you, Stiles. You nearly lost it when I told you I planned on proposing—"

"And you fail at being subtle," Allison interrupted, making Lydia giggle. "Asking me what my dream proposal was? Really?"

"I was trying to make sure Scott didn't fuck it up!" Stiles groaned. "Okay, I can literally hear the buffet calling my name."

The four walked into the party hall, the tables covered with white cloths and beautiful centerpieces. There was a dance floor, an open bar to the left and a large buffet, which Stiles made a quick beeline to, on the right.

After filling their plates, the four friends joined John, Melissa, and Isaac at a table.

Stiles pulled Lydia's chair out for her before his own and sat down, looking at Isaac. "Is Cora here? Or were you stood up? Or are you guys just being annoying again and acting like you're not in love with each other?"

Isaac and Cora were _that_couple. The couple that pines after each other for years before finally getting together. The whole thing started when they got married in third grade and were the first newlyweds to actually kiss on the playground, making everyone around them yell at them for spreading cooties.

"She's here, asshole," Isaac said, throwing a chunk of his bread roll at him. "She's at the bar with Boyd and Erica."

"They serving alcohol laced with wolfs bane?" Stiles asked. "No, but there is plenty of alcohol for you to get wasted off of," Isaac smirked, "like last summer."

"Fuck you, man. Wolfs bane would make sense, though, right? Since we're dining with a family of hunters," Stiles said smugly and Lydia rolled her eyes as she ate her shrimp stir fry.

"Fuck you, man."

As the party went on, Stiles and Scott went to get more drinks from the bar and when they went back to where Lydia was sitting, she wasn't alone.

Stiles watched as Lydia got hit on by a guy he'd never seen before. He was tall, blue eyed, blonde, and Stiles had seen Lydia get hit on by random guys before, but this time was different. She would usually roll her eyes, make a snarky comment, and look around for Stiles, leaving the guy standing alone once she spotted him.

But this time she was welcoming the attention.

"Stiles…" Scott said cautiously. But Stiles wasn't listening to Scott. He was watching as whoever that guy was went to touch Lydia's necklace. Lydia still didn't move away. In fact, she looked like she was blushing.

"I…I'm out of here," Stiles handed his drink to Scott and bolted from the hall as Scott called after him. He ignored his best friend as he left the hotel, and caught a cab, knowing she had the keys to their car.

When he arrived to the condo, he laid on the small bed in the guest room, still in his clothes and shoes, and kept thinking about what happened. Lydia had welcomed the attention of another guy, she was smiling at him and didn't even move away when he touched her. Stiles started to think that maybe his attention wasn't good enough anymore. Maybe they were getting boring. Maybe Lydia was wanting more attention from him. Or maybe she was just getting bored of _him_. They were approaching their six year anniversary and maybe after all this time, Lydia was tired of Stiles not making any moves to make them official.

Stiles thought of the ring that he bought almost two years ago, sitting in a box on the top shelf of his and Lydia's closet back home. He hadn't found the perfect moment yet with them finishing university, moving to a new apartment, starting their jobs, and finding stability after graduation. It just wasn't time.

But after seeing what might happen if he doesn't act soon, Stiles wished he had the ring with him because it was happening. He was proposing.

A few hours later, Stiles heard the front door opening and he walked into the kitchen to find an angry Lydia putting her purse down on the table. John and Melissa both shot confused – and slightly angry – looks his way, quickly excusing themselves to bed.

"I can't believe you just left me there," Lydia said without looking at him. "You and Scott go off for drinks and then Scott comes back and says you left. You just fucking left! Why would you do that?"

"You were busy," Stiles mumbled to himself, but Lydia seemed to catch it.

"Busy?"

"Taking to that guy—"

"Are you serious, Stiles? You were mad because I was talking to Allison's cousin? Who I work with at the firm?" Lydia asked incredulously, looking at him. "He saw me, he talked to me, it wasn't a big deal. He wasn't flirting with me or anything, he was telling me about his recent case."

Stiles felt like an idiot. "He touched you, your… your necklace, he—"

"His _wife_ has the same one," Lydia rolled her eyes annoyed. "I told him we were lucky girls to have men who knew how to buy jewelry." She walked to the fridge grabbing a bottle of water before turning back to him. "You realize you missed Scott and Allison's engagement announcement, right? And all the birthday toasts and the fucking cake and gifts. Fuck, Stiles, you didn't even think!"

She stormed past Stiles, who was still trying to process his own stupidity. "I really thought we were past this whole jealousy thing and the trust issues. Just because some guy talks to me doesn't mean I'm going to run away with him. And I'll never understand why you don't fucking trust me when I've literally done _nothing_to break our trust. God, you make me so damn angry, Stiles. I can't even believe that you would just fucking leave before talking to me. I'm so glad I had the keys with me. And you know, we've been together for nearly six fucking years and you didn't even think to just talk to me."

"Lydia," Stiles finally turned around. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Save it, I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Stiles watched as Lydia walked down the hall, slamming the bedroom door. He couldn't believe how juvenile he reacted and he couldn't even defend himself. It was stupid of him to act the way he did, not even giving Lydia the benefit of the doubt. They were past the jealousy issues, they had been for a long time.

Now Lydia was angry at him and he didn't know how to ask for forgiveness.

Unless…

Lydia had brought up being together for years, the jealousy issues (which Stiles had a lot of when they first got together) and trust issues, making Stiles feel absolutely terrible. He trusted Lydia, he had no reason not to, but he was always saying and doing stupid things. He knew this problem couldn't be fixed so easily, but maybe if he shows her how much she truly means to him, that he can make a commitment to her, she'll be able to at least forgive him more quickly.

So he quietly opened the door of the guest bedroom to see Lydia laying on her side of the bed, facing away from the door. She was still in her dress so Stiles figured she wasn't sleeping.

"I'm so sorry," Stiles said sadly. "I… it was stupid of me, I know, and I feel terrible for jumping to conclusions and even sorrier for leaving you there. I don't know why I felt so jealous, I guess it's because I thought you were getting bored of me or something, I don't know. But that's no excuse. I'm an idiot and I do trust you, I trust you more than anyone, and I love you so much and will you marry me?"

Stiles hadn't expected the words to just blurt out of his mouth. He imagined himself being more eloquent and not including his proposal in the midst of his apology, but he finally said the words and he waited for his answer.

Lydia hadn't turned around though. She didn't even move, and Stiles got worried that this was Lydia's way of rejecting him. So he walked over to the other side of the bed to face Lydia, ready to pour his entire heart out to her, but was met with closed eyes and a slightly opened mouth, the face that Stiles woke up to most mornings, the face he would always spend a minute gazing at before getting out of bed.

Lydia was fast asleep already, and Stiles felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. Relief that he actually managed to say it, disappointment that she didn't hear, but also relief that she didn't hear. Now that he thought about it, proposing while apologizing was probably not how Lydia pictured getting proposed to.

Stiles quietly got ready for bed and took Lydia's shoes off before slipping the comforter from underneath her and placing it over both of their bodies. It took a while for Stiles to fall asleep since Lydia wasn't curled up beside him (and because the bed was smaller than and not as comfy as the one they had at home), but after an hour of being wide awake, Stiles felt Lydia turning over and curving into his touch.

"I'm so sorry," Stiles muttered before placing a kiss on Lydia's forehead. Lydia still didn't wake up so Stiles just made himself comfortable, putting an arm around Lydia's waist, and went to sleep.

**+1**

Stiles always knew he wanted to marry Lydia, it was basically the only thing he ever thought about, but it was finally the perfect moment. It was only a few months since the night of Allison's party, and after a short (in Lydia's opinion, long as fuck in Stiles') period of groveling, they were back in their normal routine.

It was the night of their six year anniversary, the perfect time to do it. Lydia had been working on the first big case of her career for the last few months, spending a lot of extra time at the firm which had put a lot of stress on her. The final trial was the afternoon before and the jury found the defendant guilty, meaning Lydia had won her case. The night before, he listened to Lydia talk about the trial and how her boss was impressed by her persistence, knowing how stressful someone's first case can be. Stiles knew how important it was to her, and he praised her all night, repeatedly telling her how proud he was of her and that it was the first of many successes she would have.

Lydia was currently with Allison at a spa downtown. After spending the whole morning complaining about how she didn't want to go because it was their anniversary, Stiles assured her it was okay and that Allison hadn't realized it was their anniversary, and promised her an amazing night. She smiled and kissed him before heading out, completely oblivious to the fact that Allison was well aware it was their anniversary.

Stiles had asked her to take Lydia to the spa to celebrate winning her first case so he could set up her surprise. An hour before Lydia's estimated time of arrival, he put their food in the oven and began. He made a trail of rose petals from the front door to their bedroom, which he decorated with candles and even more rose petals. He smiled, knowing Lydia tease him for being so cheesy afterward.

He grabbed the large scrapbook from the top shelf of their closet (the perfect hiding spot since Lydia was too short to reach), and set it on their bed. The book was filled with photos of them and their friends throughout the years, and there was a small note on the last page. He ran into the kitchen, knowing Lydia would be home soon, and turned the oven off, knowing it would be a while until they would actually eat the dinner he had cooked.

He opened the front door and taped a note labelled _For Lydia_right below the peephole so it would be noticed by Lydia. He walked back into the house and went into the smaller room of the apartment that they made into a work area, leaving the door cracked open, waiting.

He listened as the front door opened and Lydia kicked off her shoes before walking down the hall. He held his breath as he heard her walk past the room he was in and open their bedroom door, gasping.

"Stiles?"

He didn't make a noise, but watched through the small opening as she turned the pages and smiled at all the photos. He quietly exited their work room and stood against the wall next to their bedroom door. He heard her laugh, probably at old photos of them and their friends from high school. His heartbeat quickened when she followed the instructions on his note and began reading out loud when she got to the note on the last page of the scrapbook.

"Happy anniversary, Lydia," she read, which was Stiles cue to stealthily enter their bedroom. "I can't believe you've put up with me for this long, honestly." She laughed and he felt all the nerves leave his body as he got down on one knee behind her.

"It's true," he said, making her jump and turn around to look at him, her eyes widening.

"I was seven when I told Scott I was going to marry you," he began. "You married Jackson like two minutes later, though, which kind of put a strain on our relationship."

Lydia laughed, her eyes filling with tears.

Stiles continued. "I've known since that day that you're the only girl for me. I'm honestly the luckiest guy in the world. I'm in love with the smartest, strongest, most beautiful woman I could ever imagine… and she loves me back. Scott thought I was crazy for thinking we would be ever be together, but sixteen years later, I'm finally making it happen. Lydia, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Stiles paused, watching Lydia's cheeks turn pink as a few tears leaked from her eyes.

He held her hands in his and smiled, tears in his eyes. "I want to buy a house and have kids and adopt a dog with you. I want to complain when you make me sell my jeep so we can buy a family-friendly car. I want to argue over bills and embarrass our kids when they get older. I want to do_everything_with you, Lydia. For the rest of my life."

Stiles let go of her right hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring. It was silver with a diamond he knew would be the perfect size; simple yet elegant, and exactly what Lydia wanted.

"Will you marry me?"

Lydia's squeezed his hand that was still holding hers and smiled, nodding her head.

"Yes," Lydia cried. "Yes, of course I will!"

Feeling relief and finally joy, Stiles stood up with the biggest smile on his face. He went to put the ring on Lydia's finger but before he could, Lydia was pulling his body towards hers and kissing him senseless.

The ring was forgotten for a while as Stiles kissed Lydia – _his fiancée_ – back with the same enthusiasm as she had. He couldn't help but smile mid kiss, finally feeling accomplished. He had attempted the proposal numerous times and he finally succeeded with it. Not only did he succeed with the proposal, she actually accepted.

And now they were engaged.

Lydia finally pulled away, her lips red and slightly swollen, her cheeks wet from tears, and Stiles knew he looked the same. Lydia held out her left hand for her ring and Stiles smiled as he slipped it onto her ring finger.

"I can't believe this," Lydia breathed happily.

"What? That I was so amazing with my proposal that you cried tears of joy?" Stiles asked, smirking, and wrapped his arms back around her.

"No," Lydia said, shaking her head. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she admired her new ring. She tried mimicked Stiles' smirk before replying.

"I'm surprised that it took you so long."


End file.
